Knife sharpener



y 21, 1957 Q E. K. WILSON 2,792,675

KNIFE SHARPENER Filed Oct. 31, 1955 Wig 1.

IN VEN TOR.

gilson United States Patent KNIFE SHARPENER Elvin K. Wilson, Omaha,Nebr. Application October 31, 1955, Serial No. 543,703

3 Claims. (Cl. 51--72) This invention relates to sharpening devicesparticularly of the grinding wheel type, such as used for sharpeningknives, hatchets, axes, and other tools, and in particular an elongatedmotor driven cylinder of abrasive material rotatably mounted in ahousing with a lubricant retaining chamber in the lower part of thehousing and positioned whereby the lower portion of the cylinder dipsinto a lubricant therein, and with an adjustably mounted wiperpositioned to remove lubricant from the surface of the cylinder toregulate the amount of lubricant carried on the surface of the cylinderthrough the sharpening area.

The purpose of this invention is to provide means in a knife and toolsharpening device to prevent overheating so that the temper is notremoved from a tool as the tool is sharpened.

Various types of devices have been provided for In. bricating grindingand sharpening wheels to facilitate grinding and to prevent.overheating, however, such de vices flow liquid lubricant over thegrinding wheel or dip the lower portion of the. Wheel into a tray oflubricant and no. provision is made for wiping or otherwise regulatingthe amount of lubricant on the surface of the grinding wheel at thepoint where the knife or other tool engages the wheel. It will beappreciated that too much lubricant increases the time required forgrinding or sharpening.

a tool or the like and too little lubricant causes overheating whichresults in the temper being removed from the tool.

With, this thought in mind this invention contemplates a housing for a ginding cylinder in which the housing is provided with a false bottomthat provides a lubricant retaining chamber below the cylinder so thatthe lower side of the cylinder passes through lubricant in the chamberand inwhich means, is provided for wiping the lubricant from thecylinder so that the amount of lubricant remaining on the surface of thecylinder may be controlled.

The object of this invention is, therefore, to provide means forregulating the amount of lubricant on the surface of a grinding wheel sothat just suflicient lubricant is. provided for grinding whereby thepossibility of the temper being taken out of a tool by overheating issubstantially eliminated.

Another object of the. invention is. to provide means for mounting awiper in combination with a grinding wheel whereby the amount oflubricant on the surface of the wheel may be regulated.

Another important object of the invention is to provide means for evenlydistributing lubricant over a grinding stone so that a stone sharpeningknives, tools and the like may be completely lubricated without splashand waste of the lubricant.

A further object of the invention is to provide a housing for a grindingand sharpening wheel or cylinder in which one compartment in the housingholds a lubricant into which the lower side of the wheel or cylinderextends and another compartment provides a chamber for a motor forrotating the device wherein with the lubricant 'ice controlled by awiper splashing thereof is substantially eliminated and the. lubricantis confined to the lubricant compartment.

A still further object is to provide a rotatable knife and toolsharpening cylinder which is continuously supplied with lubricant and inwhich the amount of lubricant on the cylinder is controlled in which thedevice is of a simple and economical construction.

With these and other objects and advantages in view the inventionembodies a housing having a grinding cylinder compartment and a motorcompartment with a grinding cylinder in the grinding cylindercompartment and a motor in the motor compartmentand in which a wiper isadjustably mounted in the grinding cylinder compartment for regulatingthe lubricant on the surface of the grinding cylinder which isoperatively connected to the motor.

Other features and advantages of the invention will ap-- pear from thefollowing description taken in connection with the drawings, wherein:

Figure l is a longitudinal section through the housing of the improvedknife. and tool sharpener with the grinding cylinder and motor shown inelevation.

Figure 2 is an. end elevational view of the sharpener with part brokenaway showing a cross section through the housing, and showing inparticular the mounting of a wiper for removing excess lubricant fromthe grinding cylinder.

Figure 3 is a sectional plan looking downwardly upon the wiper andmountingthereof with part of the wiper broken away and showing aportion. of the rear wall of the housing, the said portion of the rearwall being. shown in While one embodiment of the invention isillustrated in the above-referred-to drawings, it is to be understoodthat they are. merely for the purpose of illustration and that variouschanges in construction may be resorted to in the course of manufacturein order that the invention may be utilized to the best advantageaccording to circumstances which may arise, without in any mannerdeparting from the, spirit and intention of the device, which is to belimited. only in accordance with the appended claims. And while there isstated the primary field. of utility of the invention, it remainsobvious that it may be employed in any other capacity wherein it may befound applicable.

In the accompanying drawings, and in the followingspeeification, thesame reference characters are used to designate, the same parts andelements throughout, and in which the. numeral 10 refers to theinvention in its entirety, numeral 12 indicating a cylindrical grindingstone, numeral 14 a wiper carried by thumb screws 16 and 18, numeral 2%)a motor, and numeral 22 the base ofa housing having a front wall 24, arear wall 26, end walls 28. and 30, an, intermediate partition. 32, afalse bottom or horizontally disposed; partition 34, an arcuate cover 36over the grinding cylinder compartment 38. and a cover 40 over the motorcompartment 42.

The covers are secured to the lower portion of the Figure 2.

The grinding cylinder, which is preferably formed of' a suitableabrasive material, is mounted on a shaft 46 r with a bearing sleeve 48,and the shaft is rotatably mounted in the partition 32 and end wall 30with bushings 50 and 52, respectively. The end of the shaft extendingthrough the bushing 50 is provided with a coupling element 54 by whichthe shaft is operatively connected to a coupling element 56 of a shaft58, which extends from a reduction gear unit 60 on a. shaft 62 of themotor 20. The motor is provided with a flange 64 by which it is attachedto the end wall 28 with bolts 66. The thumb screws 16 and 18 arerotatably mounted in openings 68 in the rear wall 26, and the thumbscrews are retained in position with collars 70 and 72 on the thumbscrew 16, and 74 and 76 on the thumb screw 18. The Wiper or squeegee 14is secured between flanges 78 and 80 of an elongated bracket or backing82, which is U-shaped in cross section and through which the thumbscrews 16 and 18 extend. Nuts 84 threaded on the thumb screws arepositioned between the walls of the bracket 82 and with the thumb screwsheld in the rear wall by the collars rotation of the thumb screws movesthe. wiper toward or away from the grinding cylinder. Springs 86 and 88extended around the thumb screws and positioned between the bracket 82and the rear wall 26 urge the wiper toward the grinding cylinder.

The motor is supplied with current by an electric cord 90 which extendsthrough a plug 92, one wire 94 of the cord extending directly to themotor and the other wire 96 extending to a switch 98, having a button orlever 100 extended therefrom and the opposite terminal of the switch isconnected to the motor with a wire 102.

The false bottom 34 forms a tray below the grinding cylinder or stone12, and lubricant placed above the false bottom is positioned so thatthe lower side of the cylinder dips into the upper part thereof. Withthe grinding cylinder rotating in a counter-clockwise direction, asindicated by the arrow 104, the wiper removes excess lubricant from thesurface of the cylinder, and the lubricant remaining on the cylinderpasses through the area positioned to be engaged by a knife or othertool. By this means suflicient lubricant for sharpening a knife or thelike remains on the cylinder, and the amount of lubricant remaining onthe surface of the cylinder is regulated by adjusting the position ofthe wiper in relation to the cylinder with the thumb screws 16 and 18.

Operation With the parts assembled as illustrated and described thecover is opened, swinging backward about the hinge 44, and by snappingthe button 100 the motor is started, rotating the stone 12 in acounter-clockwise direction whereby with the lower side of the stonedipping into the liquid or lubricant, the lubricant is carried upwardlyand excess lubricant is removed from the stone by the wiper 14.v A knifeor other tool may then be held against the surface of the stone andsharpened without danger of the lubricant splashing from the housing,and at the same time sufficient lubricant may be maintained on thesurface of the stone to prevent overheating and taking the temper out ofa knife or tool being sharpened.

From the foregoing specification, it will become apparent that theinvention disclosed will adequately accomplish the functions for whichit has been designed and in an economical manner, and that itssimplicity, accuracy, and ease of operation are such as to provide arelatively inexpensive device, considering what it will accomplish, andthat it will find an important place in the art to which it appertainswhen once placed on the market.

It is thought that persons skilled in the art to which the inventionrelates will be able to obtain a'clear understanding of the'inventionafter considering the description in connection with the drawings.Therefore, a more lengthy descriptionis regarded as unnecessary.

Changes in shape, size, and rearrangement of details and parts such ascome within the purview of the invention claimed may be resorted to inactual practice, if desired.

Having now described the invention that which is claimed to be new anddesired to be procured by Letters Patent is:

1. A sharpener comprising a housing having grinding V and motorcompartments therein, a cylinder of abrading material rotatably mountedin the housing and positioned in the grinding compartment thereof, apair of screws threaded in a wall of the grinding compartment, 21 wipercarried by the screws and positioned to engage the surface of thecylinder, springs on the screws for urging the wiper against thecylinder, a motor in the motor compartment of the housing, meansoperatively connecting the motor to the cylinder, and means for wipinglubricant from the cylinder.

2. In a sharpener, the combination which comprises a housing havinggrinding and motor compartments therein, a cover hinged to the housing,a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing, a grinding cylinder mounted onthe shaft and positioned in the grinding compartment, 21 motor having ashaft and positioned in the motor compartment, 2. coupling forconnecting the motor to the shaft of the grinding cylinder, said housinghaving lubricant retaining means therein and said lubricant retainingmeans being positioned whereby the lower side of the grinding cylinderdips into lubricant therein, and a wiper adjustably mounted in thehousing and positioned to contact the surface of the grinding cylinder.

3. In a knife and tool sharpener, the combination which comprises ahousing having grinding and motor compartments therein, a cover hingedto the housing, a grinding cylinder positioned in the grindingcompartment of the housing, a shaft rotatably mounted in the housing andon which the grinding cylinder is positioned, a motor in the motorcompartment of the housing, means for operatively connecting the motorto the shaft on which the grinding cylinder is positioned, said housinghaving a false bottom therein and said false bottom providing alubricant retaining tray, the lubricant retaining tray being positionedwhereby the lower side of the grinding cylinder is adapted to dip intoliquid therein, thumb screws rotatably mounted in a wall of the housing,a wiper threaded on said thumb screws and positioned to contact thesurface of the grinding cylinder, and springs extended around the thumbscrews and positioned to urgethe wiper toward the grinding cylinder.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS516,353 King Mar. 13,1894.

848,800 Barnes -Q. Apr. 2, 1907 1,130,352 Tkach Mar. 2, 1915: 1,559,643Powell Nov. 3, 1925' 2,175,719 Long Oct. 10, 1939 2,187,421 George Jan.16, 1940' 2,248,953 Bunch July 15, 1941- 2,589,620 Leffel Mar. 18, 1952p 1 FOREIGN PATENTS

